New Tech

What we do

New Tech Network works nationwide with schools, districts and communities to develop innovative high schools. The network helps schools fundamentally rethink teaching and learning, empowering students to become the creators, leaders, and producers of tomorrow. Founded in Napa, California, in 1996, New Tech is made up of 170+ schools across the US and Australia. There are currently 20 New Tech schools in Indiana.

How we are different

New Tech provides learning environments centered on a strong culture of trust, respect, and responsibility, which fosters an environment of ownership where students and teachers are all equally responsible for success. New Tech schools graduate collaborative, critical thinkers who are capable of framing and solving the problems that will shape our collective future.

Three key elements set our schools apart

A new instructional approach that engages learners. Project-based learning (PBL) is at the heart of our instructional approach. PBL uses technology and inquiry to engage students with issues and questions that are relevant to their lives. In New Tech classrooms, teachers design rigorous projects tied to state and district standards and customize them to their location and the interests of students. Students then work in teams to acquire and apply knowledge and skills to solve problems.

New Tech’s approach to PBL fundamentally changes the role of teacher and student. Instead of traditional one-to-many instructors, teachers become facilitators and coaches who guide students to take charge of their own learning, invent their own solutions, and develop self-management techniques. New Tech invests deeply in process through ongoing training and support to ensure all teachers can become effective in this transformative approach to learning.

Students become active learners and doers who take responsibility to complete projects. They learn to handle long, complex tasks and manage their time. They are assessed on their skill in working in teams and creating products such as presentations, designs, plays, short stories, and prototypes. Students acquire not only subject-matter knowledge, but also the skills they need to thrive in college, career and life.

A culture that empowers students and teachers. Trust, respect, and responsibility are the hallmarks of New Tech culture. At New Tech schools, students and teachers alike have exceptional ownership of school administration and the learning experience.

Students have a level of responsibility similar to what they might experience in a professional work environment. Working on projects and in teams, students become accountable to their peers, taking individual responsibility to get work done. In this trusted, respectful environment, students decide how to allocate their time, team roles, and how to collaborate, and even have a voice in campus leadership and policy. Traditional management tools such as hall passes and class bells are a thing of the past.

Teachers model a team-based collaborative approach. In addition to helping set school administration and policy, they have flexibility to customize classrooms and projects to meet the needs of their students.

Integrated use of technology. Smart use of technology supports our innovative approaches to instruction and culture. All classrooms have a one-to-one computing ratio. With access to Web-enabled computers, every student becomes a self-directed learner who no longer needs to rely primarily on teachers or textbooks for knowledge. A proprietary Web-based system — Echo™ Collaborative Learning Environment — unifies students’ learning experiences, enabling them to share projects online, collaborate, and create new knowledge.

Echo™ facilitates a process for teachers to transform themselves into project-based coaches. It provides a structure for teachers to confidently manage a new approach to learning, while benefiting from and contributing to a shared resource of best practices.